Are you still doubting that the business of television is
changing at an incredible rate?
The role of traditional TV is being
altered on a daily basis, as consumers ready themselves for a dramatic
changing of the goalposts.
The interactive television
company Ensequence has recently announced the results of an Harris Interactive online
survey which shows that consumers
are more than ready to change the way they interact with their
televisions in
2008.
Nearly 3,000 Opinions Counted
Harris asked 2,949 adults aged 18 and over a
series of questions, and then weighted the results where
necessary to bring them into line with their
actual proportions in the population.
According to the survey, 72 percent of viewers indicated that
they are
currently using their remote controls for simple tasks such as finding
favorite programs using the on-screen TV guide, scheduling or selecting
DVR recordings and for viewing content on-demand.
Now consumers are
ready to take their television viewing experience a leap further and
they want more from their cable and satellite providers in 2008.
The Results Of The Survey
- 72 percent of those who watch reality TV shows want to
interact with those shows - 65 percent of those who watch sporting events on TV want to
interact with those events - 66 percent of viewers want to interact with commercial
advertising - 70 percent of TV viewers would consider signing up for
another
cable or satellite provider if they offered advanced interactivity at
no extra charge - 50 percent of those who watch drama TV shows indicated that
they would be interested in interacting with those shows
Conclusions
Companies
like Ensequence have a built in advantage over on-line companies as
set-top boxes are already in place in people’s homes.
The challenge for
companies like Netflix, Apple, Sandisk and others is how to make the
connection between content (lean forward) and viewing (lean back) as
simple and enjoyable as possible.
I think Netflix is in the best position versus Apple with
plans to
integrate their platform into TVs, DVRs and the like from companies
such as LG and others. System on chip is the answer.
Apple’s plans are underwhelming and sound more like a “me too”
approach.
Despite the fact that Steve Jobs
wants to get into the movie business, I doubt studio execs will feel it
is their responsibility to give him a new business model.
[Content in whole or part adapted from IPTVe and is licensed under Creative Commons, no addition derivative works may be copied from this article without prior permission from IPTVe and Web TV Wire]
